Hospital board members recently approved plans for the $328 million Houston Methodist The Woodlands, "giving that community close-to-home access to Houston Methodist’s unparalleled safety, quality, service and innovation," Dr. Marc L. Boom, president and chief executive officer of Houston Methodist, said in a statement.

Houston Methodist The Woodlands is to be located at the intersection of Interstate 45 and Texas Highway 242. Groundbreaking on the 470,000-square-foot hospital is expected early next year, with the opening in 2017. The Exxon Mobile mega-campus is expected to be complete sometime in 2015.

Houston Methodist's expansion plans also include a new 390-bed inpatient tower to be built on Bertner Avenue near John Freeman Boulevard at the Texas Medical Center campus. The $540 million tower will include 102 ICU beds and a dedicated cardiology floor. The 135,000-square-foot medical should open late next year.

Both facilities are part of the hospital system's "Vision for the Second Century", in which Houston Methodist plans to invest more than $1 billion in expanding and replacing its facilities in the Houston area during the next three years.